1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for making decorative such grass with the method including three embodiments with the plastic material, such as polypropylene, from which the grass is constructed being clear or provided with a colorant, anti-static agent and flame retardant material which is mixed into the resin prior to extrusion of the resin through a film forming die in two of the embodiments of the invention and a strip forming die in the third embodiment of the invention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Decorative grass has been used for many years in filling Easter baskets and other decorative purposes. Such grass involved the use of scrap plastic material, paper, cellophane, or the like, which is shredded by the use of rotary knives. Previously known processes involved the addition of color of the shredded grass by coating the film with a colorant prior to shredding. However, this colorant often rubs off onto the hands and clothes of a person handling the grass and also frequently washes off when water comes into contact therewith. Previous techniques employed the addition of flame retardants to the surface of the grass but the flame resistance is quite highly variable and often fails to meet the requirements of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and little or no static control is provided. When shredding paper-type material into decorative grasses, considerable dust and chaff results from the drying and flaking off of flame retardant agents and from irregularities inherent in a shredding process. In view of existent problems with conventional, well-known decorative grasses constructed from paper, cellophane, and shredded plastic, the use of such grass has been more or less restricted to use with Easter baskets and associated uses for the grass such as when it is used to form a "nest" for candy eggs and other related uses.